Maud Ardrey and the Dark Wizard
by Jerlien
Summary: This story features a girl named Maud, who starts attending Hogwarts. Her year starts with a surprise and is followed by adventures and discoveries. Curious as to what those might be? It's all inside!
1. Meeting

**Chapter 1**

It was September 1st when a little girl walked through the entrance to Platform 9 ¾, pushing a cart which held her trunk. She was accompanied by a very typical looking cat that kept walking exactly a meter in front of her.

Even though it was still quite early, with the clock still having to strike ten, it was already busy.

She looked around, a little lost in the crowd of children with parents saying their goodbye's. Hers had already been said a few days ago, when her parents had dropped her off at the Diagon Alley. They had to go away for yet another work induced travel and had simply left her to fend for herself.

She took her trunk from the cart and started pulling it the last few meters towards the train, when she was stopped by a girl who seemed to be around the same age.

"Hi, I'm Tamara." The girl said. She had chestnut-brown wavy hair and blueish-grey eyes. "My brother can help you with your trunk. He also helped me with mine." Tamara said, pointing to a boy standing a few meters behind her. "Right Sirius?" Continued Tamara. The two didn't really look alike, seeing as the boy had straight black hair and prominent silver-coloured eyes. And he was tall. The boy shrugged as an answer, but did help her bring her trunk into the train.

"Just put it next to mine." Directed Tamara her brother when they were inside. The compartments were quite spacious and could easily hold eight students. She wondered if more would join them. Tamara's brother apparently wouldn't, because when he had put her trunk at the right place, he got ready to leave.

"Thank you." She said quietly. The first thing she had said upon her arrival, she realized. Sirius just looked at her with his silver eyes, nodded and then left.

"Don't worry, he's never really social. How he manages to have friends is a mystery to me." Said Tamara. "You know, I totally forgot your name, what was it again?" She rattled on.

Slowly a smile appeared on the face of the girl. She had never told the other her name, as she had seen no opportunity to do so. "Maud. My name is Maud." She said while she said down next to the window, seeing the platform filling with even more families.

"Oh, there is Jaci! Would you mind keeping this compartment occupied while I go get her?" Tamara asked, probably seeing someone she knew. Maud nodded, and gone was Tamara, running towards a group of redheads, where, looking a bit better, were actually also other hair colours present.

It didn't take Tamara long to return with the girl. This time she had probably been unable to find her brother, as another boy carried the trunk of the girl Tamara had brought.

"Thanks Julian." Tamara said to the boy after he put the trunk next to theirs.

"You're welcome Tamara. Always for you, you know that." He answered and then ruffled through the hair of the other girl. "And for my little sister of course." He said upon closing the door, preventing an outburst from the girl who was his sister. Unlike her brother, who had very messy hair, hers was neatly brushed and she clearly did not appreciate the ruffling of her hair.

"I so hate it when he does that. I'm not his little sister anymore, I go to Hogwarts now too!" The girl exclaimed. She sat down next to Tamara, looking angry for a few seconds longer, but clearly forgetting about it when Tamara started to speak to her.

"I ran into Maud this morning when she was trying to lift her trunk into the train. So I made Sirius carry it inside for her. This is Jaci by the way, Maud." Said Tamara, turning to speak to her.

"Hi, I'm Maud." She said to the girl being mentioned as Jaci.

"My name is Jaci. Though you probably already suspected that." Jaci answered. "Oh, there is Auriane. I'll go get her." And this time it was Jaci who ran to get someone.

"Do you already know a lot of people?" She asked Tamara when the door shut again. She knew no-one.

"Well, I guess so. My granddad was friends with this very big family, and so I kinda grew up with them. And there are a lot of their children attending Hogwarts. Jaci and Auriane are from that family too. And Genine, but I haven't seen her yet." Tamara explained. "Oh, and the Scamanders are supposed to come this year too. I think. Well, guess we'll see them around if they really do come."

"Hi Auriane!" Tamara said when the girl entered with Jaci. "This is Maud. And I see Genine, so I'm going to go get her!" And immediately left for the last girl. "Hello Maud. I am Auriane." The girl said, extending her hand as a greeting. "Hello." Maud answered, shaking her hand. The girl had blonde hair, which curled nicely. "I'm glad I am on time. Mom didn't let me leave until I looked 'flawless'. Auriane sighed. "I really don't care that much about my appearance, I mean, so what if there is a strand of hair which sticks out a little bit. I'm not going to die because of it."

"I just braid my hair most of the time." Maud said. "It's very easy and it prevents my hair from falling in front of my eyes."

"Could you teach me how to do it like that?" Auriane asked, clearly seeing the advantages.

"Of course. We have the whole train ride." She answered.

When Tamara entered with Genine a little while later, she could see the two of the three girls trying to figure out a braid that seemed easy at first glance, but proved to be quite difficult. "Maud, this is Genine. Genine, this is Maud." She introduced the two of them and then took her place next to Jaci to ask what they were doing. Genine joined Auriane and Maud, also interested in the braiding. Her black hair had proven to be quite troublesome at times…


	2. The sorting

Chapter 2

She stared at the castle in awe. It was vey big, with a lot of towers and beautifully illuminated by a bright moon. It seemed like a place with many secrets and she was already looking forward to learning them.

"First years, please follow me towards the lake! First years over here!" Maud focussed her attention on the woman calling for them. She looked very boring actually, much like a business woman. And being like a business woman reminded her of her mother, whom she also thought was boring.

"Tamara, you coming?" She asked the other girl, who was too engrossed in her conversation with Jaci to have heard the call. Tamara didn't even bat an eye. She looked at Genine and Auriane. Had Tamara really not heard her? They shrugged and then Genine walked up to them, next to Tamara, who didn't notice a thing and just kept walking, and shouted "Tamara!" right into her ear. Who jumped about a meter into the air.

"Genine…! Why did you do that?" Asked Tamara when she had recovered. "Well, perhaps because we had already called out to you and you didn't react and just kept on walking in the wrong direction?" Genine explained. "Let's go."

"Now, if everyone will get into a boat." The woman said when they had all gathered. They walked towards the closest boat, but were stopped. "Only 4 a boat, girls." The woman said. They looked at each other. What were they going to do now? Who was going to another boat?

"I'll go find another boat." Maud said. It didn't really matter, seeing as it couldn't take long for them to reach the castle. She found a boat with 3 boys inside, and entered. As soon as she sat, the boats began to move towards the castle. "Hi, I'm Maud." She said, introducing herself to the boys. Two of the three boys just stared at her and didn't bother to introduce themselves. Had they never seen a girl before? Even when she tried again with; "Who are you?" she got no response. Well, not until they were almost halfway the lake. "My name is Hydrus Malfoy." Said the third boy. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and had an aristocratic air around him. Maud nodded to him and begin staring at the stars, trying to find Ursa major, which her father had once pointed out to her. She could not find it.

She joined Tamara, Auriane, Genine and Jaci again when they left the boats. They climbed some stairs and eventually arrived by a very big door. "Welcome first years. My name is Caira Segard and before we go in, I will explain some things to you. When you enter you will be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Each know for different things. Your house will be your family during the time you stay at Hogwarts. Outstanding achievements or triumphs will earn you house points, while rule breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year the house with the most house points will win the house cup." Explained Professor Segard. "If you would now make a line behind me so we can enter." At which everyone was trying to get backwards as to not having to enter first. Which meant that she was standing in front. Oh well, her surname started with an A, so she was probably one of the first to start with whatever was going to happen.

When she entered the Great Hall however, she regretted standing at the front. It was overwhelming to say at the least. They walked towards some sort of platform, where the teachers were also sat. In front of the teachers was a stool with some sort of battered hat on it. But what was the most impressive were the students. There were four long tables, that were filled with students who stared at them.

A little while later all first years had assembled on the platform and it was apparently the clue for the strange hat to begin singing.

_With the beginning of our new school year,_

_The sorting ceremony is no longer just near._

_Upon seeing this strange old hat,_

_Some students look a bit had._

_Faces turning a shade of white or red,_

_All of them filled with dread._

_But don't worry about should be,_

_For you would better be worrying about me._

_Put me on and I will tell you all where I believe,_

_With which house you can best achieve._

_The first house is Gryffindor,_

_With outstanding courage and wit._

_The second house is Hufflepuff,_

_Where the loyal and hardworking go._

_Ravenclaw is known for its brains,_

_And excelling in studies._

_Last we have our house Slytherin,_

_You go here if cunning is your thing._

_Or this new year,_

_Do you belong to this other group?_

_You will hear the details when you are called,_

_So now just be enthralled._

All students had been quite while the hat sang, but began murmuring as soon as it stopped. All she wanted now was just to be sorted into a house and go to sleep. She was really tired all at once.

Professor Segard took out a roll of parchment and cleared her throat. "When I call your name please come forward and put on the hat. Ardrey, Maud." She walked forward, trembling a little bit. Where would she be sorted? It didn't seem like any of the houses really fit her. She sat down on the stool and put the hat on her head. It was a bit too big, seeing as it slid down and covered her eyes. As soon as she had put it on though a voice sounded in her head. "Ah, I have been waiting for this for quite some time already." She sat up straight in alarm and almost took the hat off. "No, don't worry. I won't hurt you. This is it. The last sign. Finally it is time. It's good that I have already informed them." The hat probably wasn't talking to her though, because she really didn't understand what it was going on about. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." She heard the voice say. She couldn't quite shake the eerie feeling that it was reading her mind. "Well, of course I read you mind. How else do you suppose I can sort you all into the right house?" The hat answered. He did have a point though. "I see, intuition and independence. That does indeed add something and once has to be the first time." The hat was quite for a few seconds and then called: "Silverhorn!"

It was only then that she realized that the Great Hall had not been totally quiet. For it was now. All the students that had been whispering among themselves had immediately stopped and she felt that everyone was looking at her, glad that she couldn't actually see them looking.

It was then that another Professor walked forward. "Best students of Hogwarts. Today is a day to remember, because today is the day that Hogwarts gets a fifth house!"

Now the Hall wasn't quiet anymore, because each and every students began talking all at once. And she sat there, forgotten on the stool with the Sorting hat on her head.


End file.
